Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Young families struggle to do it all
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- Figure 1: Attitudes toward family life – Finding balance, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Family food fight
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- Figure 2: Around the table dynamic – Food requests, October 2016
- Parents want to pull the plug
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- Figure 3: Family goals – Activities to reduce, October 2016
- The opportunities
- Family time is invaluable
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- Figure 4: Family goals, October 2016
- Memories light the corners of our minds
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- Figure 5: Motivations for spending time together, October 2016
- Moms and dads see eye to eye
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- Figure 6: Attitudes toward family life – Select items, by moms and dads, October 2016
- What it means
Young Families in America – What You Need to Know
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- Population of kids younger than 12 is stable
- Most family households have two parents
- Moms more likely to stay home
- Kids are surrounded by other races and ethnicities
- Median household income for families is improving
Population Trends of Young Families
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- Recessionary period slows birth rate
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- Figure 7: Number of births (in thousands), 1909-2015
- Kids younger than 12 lead growth for young population
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- Figure 8: Population by age (millions), 2012-22
- Younger population is incredibly diverse
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- Figure 9: Distribution of population, by age and race/Hispanic origin, 2016
Characteristics of Young Families
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- Children most likely supported by two parents at home
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- Figure 10: Living arrangements of children under 18 years old, 1960-2016
- Parents with children likely living with partner
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- Figure 11: Parents with children under age 18 in the household, by living arrangement, 2007-16
- Most stay-at-home parents are moms
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- Figure 12: Married couples with a child under age 15 at home, by presence of stay-at-home parent, 2006-16
- Income growth improves for family households
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- Figure 13: Median household income of families with related children, in inflation-adjusted dollars, 2005-14
- Figure 14: Median household income, by type of household, 2015
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Recommendations on screen time relaxed
- Brands reflect family realities
- Parents look for moral brands
- Kids’ programming takes the spotlight
- It takes a village
- Sharing isn’t always caring
- Settling into “hygge”
What’s Working?
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- New recommendations for screen time make room for teaching tools
- Brands highlight the role of grandparents
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- Figure 15: English for beginners, November 2016
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- Figure 16: Hooking Up Grandma’s House, November 2016
- Figure 17: McCormick Presents Lost Recipes, November 2016
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- Figure 18: Coming Home for Christmas | Heathrow Airport, November 2016
- Companies hit on parents’ desire for community-focused kids
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- Figure 19: The Giving Project: Toys “R” Us ad | Babble, December 2016
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- Figure 20: UNICEF Kid Power: Get Active with Sport Stars, October 2015
- Figure 21: Make Life PlayFull | One World Play Project, August 2016
- Improved parental leave policies may foster employee loyalty
- Netflix ramps-up kids’ programming
- TV is winning with character diversity
- Kids create new ways to improve social acceptance
What’s Struggling?
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- Dads don’t see themselves reflected in ads
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- Figure 22: Hershey’s: My Dad, February 2016
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- Figure 23: Happy Father’s Day, Mr. Rayos, June 2016
- Figure 24: Airbnb mobile ad, September 2015
- Finding balance isn’t a mommy problem, it’s a family problem
- Burden of household chores remains uneven
- Dads may need more accessible parenting resources
- To share, or not to share?
What’s Next?
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- Millennials focused on raising kids with a new set of ideals
- Brands aim to reflect an unspoken reality
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- Figure 25: Honey Maid documentary #NotBroken, September 2014
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- Figure 26: Familien – Part 1, February 2016
- Companies do their part to manage online content
- Americans search for “hygge”
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- Figure 27: Ever heard of hygge? See what this special Danish word means! February, 2014
- IBM’s Watson and Sesame Street’s Big Bird team up
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- Figure 28: IBM and Sesame Street: Transforming Early Childhood Education with Cognitive Computing, April 2016
- Parents encourage nonconformity
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Most parents live with their kids and spouse
- Family dinner continues to be popular
- Food is used to occupy and entertain
- Time is more valuable than money
- Families want focused time together
- Strengthening the family bond
- Moms and dads share a similar view of parenting
The Family Household
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- Traditional family structure is the norm
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- Figure 29: Household make up, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Single parents most likely to be young women
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- Figure 30: Select demographics of single and married young parents, October 2016
- Mom is still CEO of the home
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- Figure 31: Household make up of young parents – Select items, by gender, October 2016
Around the Table Dynamics
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- The majority of young families sit around the table together
- Kids aren’t afraid to ask for special food orders
- Parents press kids to try new foods
- Food is used as a reward for young kids
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- Figure 32: Families and food, October 2016
- Older families more insistent on shared meals
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- Figure 33: Families and food, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Young dads choose to reward with food
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- Figure 34: Families and food – Select items, by moms and dads, October 2016
- As household income increases, family dinners are more rare
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- Figure 35: Families and food – Eating together, by household income, October 2016
- Hispanic parents less likely to insist kids clear the plate
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- Figure 36: Families and food – Select items, by Hispanic origin, October 2016
Family Goals
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- Quality family time is a primary goal
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- Figure 37: Family goals, October 2016
- Younger families look to include extended family members
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- Figure 38: Family goals, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Health and finances top moms’ list of priorities
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- Figure 39: Family goals, by moms and dads, October 2016
- Families with higher incomes interested in saving, but also giving
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- Figure 40: Family goals, by household income, October 2016
- Non-White parents put a focus on health
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- Figure 41: Family goals, by race, October 2016
Family Activities
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- Digital disconnection may be attractive to families
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- Figure 42: Family goals, October 2016
- Younger families may feel overscheduled
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- Figure 43: Family activities – Spending too much time, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Older families consider their community
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- Figure 44: Family activities – Not spending enough time, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Dads may feel kids’ schedules are packed
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- Figure 45: Family activities – Select items, by moms and dads, October 2016
- Moms want to get the most out of the weekends
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- Figure 46: Family activities – Select items – Not enough time, by moms and dads, October 2016
Motivations for Spending Time Together
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- Family bonding is paramount
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- Figure 47: Motivations for spending time together, October 2016
- As children age, parents looking for more reasons to connect
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- Figure 48: Motivations for spending time together, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Dads prioritize fun
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- Figure 49: Motivations for spending time together – Select items, by moms and dads, October 2016
- Affluent parents more concerned with keeping kids in line
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- Figure 50: Motivations for spending time together – Discipline, by household income, October 2016
- Parents use family time to thwart sibling rivalry
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- Figure 51: Motivations for spending time together – Select items, by number of children in the household, October 2016
- Black families want to reinforce the family bond
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- Figure 52: Motivations for spending time together – Trust and bonding, by race, October 2016
Attitudes toward Family Life
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- Online privacy is a concern for parents
- Parents encourage independence
- Non-parents just don’t understand
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward family life, October 2016
- Help wanted: ISO an extra hand around the house
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- Figure 54: Attitudes toward family life, by younger and older families, October 2016
- Moms fear for their child’s safety online
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- Figure 55: Attitudes toward family life – Oversharing online, by key demographics, October 2016
- Moms and dads have a similar parenting outlook
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- Figure 56: Attitudes toward family life – Select items, by moms and dads, October 2016
- Parents of all income levels expect help around the house
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- Figure 57: Attitudes toward family life – Chores, by household income, October 2016
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – Family Demographics and Characteristics
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- Figure 58: Population by age, 2012-22
- Figure 59: Parents with children under age 18 in the household, by living arrangement, 2007-16
- Figure 60: Married couples with a child under age 15 at home, by presence of stay-at-home parent, 2006-16
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- Figure 61: Distribution of population, by age and race/Hispanic origin, 2016
- Figure 62: Median household income of families with related children, in inflation-adjusted dollars, 2004-14
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- Figure 63: Median household income, by type of household, 2015
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